The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 418 - 216 What the Heck Team Leader

FedEx Forum was packed, and the place was strewn with various explicit signs.

"Dream chasing is true clownery," "Let the ignorant remain ignorant," "Be careful or get beat up"...

Green’s big mouth had boosted the Warriors’ morale and had also earned him massive attention, but correspondingly, it inevitably angered Memphis fans.

Including the pre-game warm-ups, the Grizzlies regained that competitive desire they had lost after the first round.

During the warm-ups, the Grizzlies frequently performed slam dunk shows.

Hansen, Guy, Carter, Faried...

If the Grizzlies were to host an internal dunk contest, it would be just as spectacular as the actual dunk contests.

After the warm-up, the ceremony started, and the starting lineups of both teams were announced one after another.

Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Bo Gote

Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Guy, Randolph, Little Gasol

Jackson continued to show his adaptability by putting Green, who had performed excellently in the last game, in the starting lineup.

This made the game even more intriguing.

Of course, it also made the Grizzlies’ players eager to get on the court.

Bo Gote won the tip-off for the Warriors, and Curry advanced the ball into the frontcourt.

The Warriors started with a play focusing on Thompson’s off-ball movement.

Hansen switched to defending Curry while the Grizzlies had Guy on Thompson.

Facing Bo Gote’s screen, Guy chose to fight through it, refusing to give Thompson any chance for an outside three-point shot.

This was Joerger’s game strategy: no threes, just some mid-range opportunities.

Thompson received the ball and took a step to shoot from mid-range, hitting the shot.

Usually, sharpshooters who are accurate from three-point range are relatively weaker from mid-range, but Thompson is one of the few whose skills are top-notch in both areas.

This forms the foundation of Thompson being a 3D star—being just a good three-point shooter isn’t enough to be called a star.

The Grizzlies’ offensive strategy was also clear—use the high-low game, with Green’s man going down to the post.

While Bo Gote was excellent at low-post defense, his mobility was slow and his help-defense was relatively sub-par.

As for Green, a proponent of modern basketball, he looked slightly embarrassed in the first play.

Randolph received the ball in the post and rolled over Green with a fake shot, forcing Green to shift his weight forward before turning and leaving him completely open for a basket.

Not just rookie Green, even a prime Green would struggle in the post against Randolph, who was superior in height, strength, and skill.

The Warriors tried the same play again, but this time Little Gasol rushed out to help defend Thompson, and although his interference was limited, Thompson missed the shot.

Thompson, in his second year, was clearly not yet the "Thompson" Hansen knew—his shooting was still not stable enough.

However, Randolph failed to secure the rebound, and Green grabbed the offensive board with his long arms, going for a close-range second chance.

"Bang!"

He was ruthlessly blocked by the retreating Little Gasol. freeweɓnøvel.com

Instantly, jeering erupted from the crowd.

So much for modern basketball!

Yet, the situation wasn’t much different from the start of Game 1.

The Warriors players all had potential, but they clearly lacked experience and stability.

The Warriors inbounded the ball, and the play finally involved Curry.

Curry was looking for a three-point opportunity running off continuous screens set by the Warriors.

This was Jackson’s tactical positioning for Curry, an excellent and quick-moving off-ball three-point shooter.

This was also the role Curry played during the crazy March run with Davidson, leading the underdog charge.

His off-ball movement could rival Richard Hamilton, who was known for running his defenders ragged, but Curry had a longer range and a quicker release.

Hansen, with agile movement and a smooth side slide past Bo Gote’s screen, encountered another moving screen by Green.

The NBA really doesn’t have rules against moving screens; it’s more about illegal screens.

Specifically, the screener can move in the same direction as the defender but changing directions while moving, and making frontal or lateral contact with the defender, constitutes an illegal screen.

Since it’s easy to commit an illegal screen while trying to block a defender, these two terms are often used interchangeably.

Green’s screen included a covert sideways movement, essentially making it an illegal screen.

Hansen saw this and didn’t dodge; instead, he charged right into it, losing balance and falling to the ground upon impact.

The referee’s whistle followed, signaling Green’s illegal screen.

At this point, the crowd wasn’t just jeering but also mixed with whistles.

Green had earned his playoff start with his performance in the last game, but his display after becoming a starter was somewhat hard to watch.

Green covered his face with his hands because Curry had already taken and made the shot, but it was invalidated by the referee’s whistle.

Just as he turned around, he caught a meaningful look from Hansen.

The message was clear—petty tricks wouldn’t work against Hansen, the rookie.

This foul by Green also triggered a chain reaction; already at a disadvantage defending Randolph in the post, now with a foul to his name, he was even more cautious in his defense.

With Jackson yelling, the Warriors had no choice but to shift to help defense on the wings.

This time Randolph was much more patient than in Game 1; he didn’t force an attack but instead passed the ball to an open Guy on the perimeter after getting double-teamed.